While I’m no longer working with our Lowline Angus personally (they are all up on the Mendocino coast chowing down on some awesome grass rangeland), I miss them. When we drive by local fields with livestock, my eye immediately starts to check them out. Miss the calves something awful.
I had to take some time off from writing. We ran into a conflict with the farmstead we were leasing. Â It was a 100-year-old farm that had been inherited and not utilized as a farm for many, many years. Â The landlord decided not to honor the option to renew our lease which triggered some pretty hectic times. We went to court over it.
LowLine Angus – beefy guys!
It pulled an enormous amount of energy from me as we prepared to go to court over the issue, and outside of just dealing with the basics on the farm, we were in limbo. Â It is a pretty depressing place to be…
Had to learn a lot about the court system in a short amount of time, file paperwork, find an attorney, gather data, put together exhibits, etc. Time consuming but felt it was worthwhile to fight for the farm. Â We were winning the case… right up to the last hour. Â A sudden unexpected event occurred, and we were not prepared for a rebuttal, and lost the ruling (i.e. lost the case).
We spent a month having to close the farm down… while we reframe what we were going to do, short-term and long-term.
I see that I have been “pushed” into another direction that will add more of a world view of what is going on. We have to face the reality that we are indeed in our 60’s and must respect that.  We need to be  mentoring, assisting, and supporting financially young farmers through their products.  At some point we plan to reactivate the farm, but for now we are taking at least a year off to sort through things.
We have moved closer to Jim’s work to decrease the commute and living in a small space, and in an urban environment. It is certainly exposing me to a whole new array of problems that people need to deal with. Trying to figure out how to adapt to this new setting and hold true to the things we have learned. I’m certain I’ll be tapping a lot of people for their insights, experience, and methods!
Ruminations 
Jeanette Stark said,
November 7, 2012 at 4:46 pm
Home from Houston and docs….blood is fantastic. I am healthy……
Will take time to read this when I get home from worship this evening.
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.
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Nichki said,
November 19, 2012 at 10:49 am
Well you guys have certainly made an impact on this young farmer’s life! I still can’t thank you enough for all of the knowledge you and Jim shared with me, and I will treasure it for a lifetime. I am terribly sad that The Heritage Farm is on hiatus, but I know that it is just that. Best of luck to you both, and I can’t wait to hear about everything you are learning in your new “urban environment” – I am sure it is all worthwhile!
Best,
Nichki